David Roy
Well-Known Member
My wife and I bought Magnum Metro bikes in May of 2018. We are experienced cyclists, but knew little about ebikes. We live in hilly Northeastern Connecticut and as we aged (65+) the hills have grown, limiting our riding. This corner of the state is laced with miles and miles of country roads and beautiful hills to climb. We didn’t want to stop biking. Ebikes seemed the perfect solution. We tried a pair of Magnum Metro bikes and bought them the same day.
A year later I’m even more convinced that ebikes are the perfect biking solution for us. The Magnum bikes have been fun and reliable. I have just over 3000 miles and Marji has around 2000. Early on we both had our cassettes fail and be replaced under warranty. Marji’s tire bulged out a sidewall at less than 50 miles and that was also replaced under warranty. I had one flat a few weeks ago. That’s it for problems. The Bicycle Celler in Simsbury, CT has been excellent to deal with, taking care of the problems without fuss.
These bikes don’t ride like analog bikes. They have hub motors and simple cadence controllers along with a thumb throttle. At the lowest power level they want to cruise along at 12-13 mph. So as soon as you start pedaling ZOOM you feel the motor take over and you are playing pedal catch up. We grew accustomed to the zoom and now enjoy it, but it did take some getting used to. Each power level above 1 adds to the minimum speed until the max at 25 mph in level 6. We normally ride in 1 saving the higher speeds for when we have rain to outrun. Cadence speed and torque are not measured. It’s just pedaling or not pedaling. Pedaling with more torque adds marginally to road speed and might reduce battery usage a bit, but not to a great extent. It does give me a better workout and just feels better. I enjoy a 12-15 mph average pace. It allows me to enjoy the scenery and still cover lots of ground. I bike for enjoyment and exercise, not commuting. The bikes are very stable so downhills are for speed and are lots of fun. Marji has been known to pass me at 40+ mph on one particular steep straight hill.
We did not find these bikes appropriate for off road riding. The 12 mph minimum is too fast. Cutting the motor out using the brake levers or selecting power level 0 is possible, but then you find yourself pedaling a 60+ pound bike uphill on soft or very rough surfaces. We managed to get through some tough spots using a light touch on the throttle but we avoid that type of riding where possible.
The hub motors have been sufficient for any of the hills, including some short 20% grades. We generally leave the setting at 1 and downshift going uphill to “help” the bikes as they slow down. We could up the power level or use the throttle, but shifting feels more like a traditional bike.
My longest ride has been about 50 miles. I rode in power level 1 and the battery had about 5 miles left when I got home. This points to a problem with the bike. The battery is big and heavy at over 9 pounds. There really isn’t a good way to carry an extra battery. I did see a clever solution where a second battery was strapped onto the angled down tube that might be worth trying but it is definitely a kluge.
To sum up. This is an affordable, fun and reliable bike. The low step frame makes it very accessible. It works well in our environment of lightly traveled and hilly country roads. The major downside is the very simple cadence motor control.
A year later I’m even more convinced that ebikes are the perfect biking solution for us. The Magnum bikes have been fun and reliable. I have just over 3000 miles and Marji has around 2000. Early on we both had our cassettes fail and be replaced under warranty. Marji’s tire bulged out a sidewall at less than 50 miles and that was also replaced under warranty. I had one flat a few weeks ago. That’s it for problems. The Bicycle Celler in Simsbury, CT has been excellent to deal with, taking care of the problems without fuss.
These bikes don’t ride like analog bikes. They have hub motors and simple cadence controllers along with a thumb throttle. At the lowest power level they want to cruise along at 12-13 mph. So as soon as you start pedaling ZOOM you feel the motor take over and you are playing pedal catch up. We grew accustomed to the zoom and now enjoy it, but it did take some getting used to. Each power level above 1 adds to the minimum speed until the max at 25 mph in level 6. We normally ride in 1 saving the higher speeds for when we have rain to outrun. Cadence speed and torque are not measured. It’s just pedaling or not pedaling. Pedaling with more torque adds marginally to road speed and might reduce battery usage a bit, but not to a great extent. It does give me a better workout and just feels better. I enjoy a 12-15 mph average pace. It allows me to enjoy the scenery and still cover lots of ground. I bike for enjoyment and exercise, not commuting. The bikes are very stable so downhills are for speed and are lots of fun. Marji has been known to pass me at 40+ mph on one particular steep straight hill.
We did not find these bikes appropriate for off road riding. The 12 mph minimum is too fast. Cutting the motor out using the brake levers or selecting power level 0 is possible, but then you find yourself pedaling a 60+ pound bike uphill on soft or very rough surfaces. We managed to get through some tough spots using a light touch on the throttle but we avoid that type of riding where possible.
The hub motors have been sufficient for any of the hills, including some short 20% grades. We generally leave the setting at 1 and downshift going uphill to “help” the bikes as they slow down. We could up the power level or use the throttle, but shifting feels more like a traditional bike.
My longest ride has been about 50 miles. I rode in power level 1 and the battery had about 5 miles left when I got home. This points to a problem with the bike. The battery is big and heavy at over 9 pounds. There really isn’t a good way to carry an extra battery. I did see a clever solution where a second battery was strapped onto the angled down tube that might be worth trying but it is definitely a kluge.
To sum up. This is an affordable, fun and reliable bike. The low step frame makes it very accessible. It works well in our environment of lightly traveled and hilly country roads. The major downside is the very simple cadence motor control.
